NUNAVUT - Arctic Co-operatives will launch an aluminum can recycling program June 1 in every Nunavut community except Iqaluit and Clyde River, which don't have co-ops.

Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. CEO Andy Morrison, left, and president Bill Lyall drop an aluminum can in a recycling bin. The company announced a new recycling program where non-profit groups will receive $1,500 for every 20-foot shipping container filled. - photo courtesy of Arctic Co-operatives

Duane Wilson, Arctic Co-op's vice-president, merchandising and logistics, said more than 10 million aluminum cans are shipped annually to the territory.

"If I can have 4 million cans (annually) brought out of the North, I'll be very, very, very pleased," he said. "Ultimately, I think the measure of success will be if there is a positive view about recycling and a habit developed for recycling in the communities."

The company is not developing recycling depots, he added, as community groups would organize the collection of the cans and be compensated for their efforts.

Arctic Co-ops will pay non-profit groups $1,500 for every 20-foot shipping container filled with cans.

A 10-cent levy on plastic bags will also partially fund the program and reduce the number of plastic bags in the North, he added.

"Aluminum being a non-renewable resource, we'll not only be able to recycle it but reduce the litter it brings to the land and to the communities," he said. "Aluminum was the most practical to start with. There is some recycling value in recyclable aluminum that can help defray the costs of operating this program."

The territorial government had canceled its three-year-old pilot recycling project in Kugluktuk, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit late last year stating the program costs outweighed the benefits.

If the co-operatives can prove the model works, only then will they start investigating multiple waste streams, said Wilson. But in the interest of keeping it simple and effective, they are focusing in aluminum, he added.

Co-ops are in the business of supplying and transportation material to the Arctic and have the means to communicating to communities through stores, said Wilson. He added they also own a fleet of shipping containers, as they are majority shareholder of Nunavut Sealink and Supply Inc., all assets to the success of the program. Wilson said he anticipates in-kind contribution for container transportation will be $200,000 yearly.

"I think there are a lot of advantages, based on the supply chain we've built for supplying our retail stores we can use to effectively bring back recyclable aluminum out of the territory," he said.

The program was started at the request of member co-ops, which asked the service federation in 2010 to investigate the possibility of returning recyclables on sealift.

Bill Lyall, president of the Ikaluktutiak Co-op and president of Arctic Co-operatives, said he hopes the program will be popular.

"Personally, I am very confident it will be successful," he said.

At the Kugluktuk Co-operative, manager Derrick Power said he doesn't see too many challenges to the program.

"I think it would be very popular. I think it's a good idea," he said. "I'm not sure if it's going to be successful or not, to be honest with you. Time will tell."

And in Resolute, Tudjaat Co-op manager Gilles Robitaille said it was premature to guess the response to the program in the community.

"I think it will be a little bit of work in progress, I guess, to educate folks as to the value of it. I think eventually, yes it will catch on," he said. "Based on feedback I've received from the local folks, they seem to welcome the idea. They love the idea it's better for the environment so that's always a great incentive."

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